a day which will live in infamy
“a day which will live in infamy” refers to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s description of December 7, 1941, the date of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, in his war address to Congress.
What the phrase means
Roosevelt called December 7, 1941 “a date which will live in infamy” to mark it as a moment of shocking treachery, moral outrage, and historic consequence.
The phrase quickly became shorthand in American culture for the Pearl Harbor attack itself and, more broadly, for any event remembered as especially disgraceful or tragic.
Historical background
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese forces launched a surprise air attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, killing over 2,000 Americans and crippling much of the Pacific Fleet.
The next day, December 8, Roosevelt addressed a joint session of Congress, using this phrase at the very start of his speech while requesting a declaration of war on Japan, bringing the United States fully into World War II.
Why the wording matters
Roosevelt’s original draft said “a date which will live in world history,” but he personally changed it to “infamy,” sharpening the emotional impact and moral condemnation.
He also framed the United States as having been “suddenly and deliberately attacked,” underscoring innocence and victimhood to unify public opinion behind entering the war.
How people remember it today
The line is often misquoted as “a day that will live in infamy,” but the correct wording is “a date which will live in infamy,” emphasizing the specific calendar date, December 7, 1941.
In public memory and media, “day of infamy” is now a symbolic label, frequently referenced when discussing Pearl Harbor and sometimes when drawing parallels to later shocks like the September 11 attacks.
TL;DR: The phrase “a day/date which will live in infamy” is Roosevelt’s famous description of December 7, 1941, the Pearl Harbor attack, marking it as a permanently infamous turning point that drew the United States into World War II.
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